Journal highlights of the year

The study found that having a big breakfast boosts fertility among women with a common female endocrine disorder. The findings, published in Clinical Science, found that eating the largest meal of the day for breakfast could help women who suffer with polycystic ovary syndrome to conceive.

Testing asthmatic children for a specific gene could prevent their condition worsening, according to research published in Clinical Science. The research was carried out by Professor Somnath Mukhopadhyay from the Brighton and Sussex Medical School (BSMS) and Professor Brian Lipworth and genetics expert Professor Colin Palmer, both from the University of Dundee.

Collagen, the stuff of ligaments and skin, and the most abundant protein in the human body, has an extraordinary role in triggering chemical signals that help protect the body from cancer, a new study revealed. Scientists at The Institute of Cancer Research, London, uncovered a series of chemical signals sent out by collagen that appear to protect against cancer’s growth.

Research, published in the Biochemical Journal, identified molecules occurring naturally in fruit that may play an important role in the future treatment of heart disease. Molecules called flavanoids, which are found in citrus fruits, particularly grapefruit, have proven effective at reducing the inflammation which can lead to deadly cardiovascular disease. These molecules may hold the key to the development of a new generation of anti-inflammatory drugs which are cheaper, easier to produce and less toxic than current therapies.

What if you could turn off a transporter that was important to tumour cells, but not to normal cells? Research published by Dr Vadivel Ganapathy (Medical College of Georgia, USA) suggests we can do that after tests in breast cancer cells in mice proved promising.